


Cold

by Scho_s



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bruises, Caretaking, Father-Son Relationship, Featuring some asshole named Jack, Gen, Hypothermia, Medical Procedures, Physical Abuse, The abuse is just referred to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 09:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20189755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scho_s/pseuds/Scho_s
Summary: Connor finds a certain detective in the cold and decides to take him home to take care of him.





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> New fanfic! Finally it is finished. Started this the 13th of april and on the 8th of august it was done. Hope it is somewhat okay.
> 
> English is not my native language, feel free to correct mistakes.
> 
> I don't own the characters.
> 
> Enjoy!

Connor said goodbye to Hank, and gripped Sumo's leash tightly. He walked out on the street, the big dog obediently following, as Hank continued watching from the doorway until they had crossed the street, before retreating back into the house. 

Sumo had been restless all day, and after work, Connor had finally found the time to take him for a walk.

"It's a nice day, right, Sumo? The snow has been falling quite beautifully." Connor said to the dog. He always talked to Sumo, it was peaceful. The dog would never judge him, never tell secrets. 

"It's quite cold though. It will be freezing tonight." He said. Even though he couldn't feel cold physically, his limbs could freeze up in extreme cold. So, Connor walked a little faster, still careful not to slip, Sumo jogging beside him. He wanted to be home before nightfall, but also wanted to walk their usual route, to the park and back. They came there often, Connor really enjoyed the nature around there. Especially around this hour it was peaceful there. 

"Let's go to the park." He proposed. Sumo said nothing, just walked next to him, occasionally going over to a tree to sniff. 

Connor was lost in thought. He had walked this path so often, it was unnecessary to pay attention to where he was going.   
He thought about the paperwork he still had to do about the latest case. Well, he supposed, he could always finish it while Hank slept. Android's didn't really need sleep after all.

Sumo's head rose from where he was sniffing a patch of snow-covered grass, and a let out a soft bark at something in the distance. 

Connor noticed nothing out of the ordinary, at least not at first glance. There was nobody around, the park was empty except for him and Sumo.   
At least, that's what he thought.

The closer he got, the better Connor could see something - or someone - laying down on one of the benches. He approached carefully, to not startle the person and perhaps figure out their intention. 

The person was shivering only slightly. When Connor was two steps away from the bench, they lifted their head and Connor's breath hitched in his throat.  
The person on the bench was none other than Detective Reed.

Connor approached, curiously. Why was the detective here? And more importantly, why was he here in inappropriate clothing? 

Reed was only wearing a shirt and some loose-fitting pants. His feet were completely bare. Gavin's eyes were red, and tears had dried on his blotched skin. 

Connor scanned him, wanting to find out what was wrong. The detective's heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate were extremely high, even higher than when he had cornered Connor in the Archive room. 

Connor took the last few steps towards the bench and crouched down in front of Gavin, who had lowered his head back to rest on the cold wood of the seat. 

"Detective Reed-" Connor started, cautiously. He didn't want to set the other off. "What are you doing here?" He hesitantly put a hand on Gavin's arm. His system immediately blared a warning of low body temperature. 

Sumo sat down next to Connor, sniffing Gavin's face and licked it. The detective scrunched up his face and mumbled something that Connor didn't understand. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked again, but Gavin still didn't answer. He groaned as a shiver wracked through his body, and only stared deeply into Connor's eyes. 

"Hm.." Gavin said, averting his eyes and tried to push himself up. Connor shot forward, helping him to sit up.   
Gavin was unable to sit upright, swaying from side to side, even though his body had stopped shivering. Connor knew that this was bad and scanned Gavin again.

"Detective, At this rate, your chances of surviving until morning are only 10%. I advise you to come home with me." Sumo barked and Connor grabbed the leash tighter.

Gavin chuckled. His voice was hoarse and occasionally broke off as he mumbled: "Well, perhaps that's the intention." A sad smile appeared on his face and as he rubbed his arm with one hand, trying to gather some warmth. 

Connor gasped quietly. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again soon after. He stared at Gavin as if he was an alien that just came down from the sky.  
"You can't- you can't say that!" He eventually said, as if he had broken a law.

"Well, I just did." Gavin said. His voice was nothing more than a whisper. Talking hurt, and he had no control over his words. They almost literally fell out of his mouth. He had no idea what he was saying anymore.  
"Deal with it."   
No matter how cold and shitty he was feeling, he was still able to grin at Connor.

"I need you to come with me, Detective." Connor pressed. He didn't really like Reed, but he couldn't just let him die in the cold.

Gavin firmly shook his head, clinging to the bench like a child, though it took him way more energy than it should have. After five seconds, his grip already weakened, and he sighed deeply, mumbling something under his breath.

Connor sighed, let go of Sumo's leash - he would never run away - and carefully took Gavin's hands, pulling slightly. 

The freezing detective got the hint and stood up, but his weakened knees gave out and he fell in the snow-covered ground with a loud groan. 

"Are you okay?" Connor asked immediately, rushing to help him back to his feet. But the detective, stubborn as always, wanted nothing of it and swatted Connor's hands away as best as he could. He tried to pull himself upright with help of the bench a few times, but failed miserably. 

Connor couldn't handle seeing the poor man suffer any longer, helped him upright and hoisted him over his shoulder.

Gavin protested weakly, banging his fists against Connor's hard back, but quickly gave up as he realised it was no use.

The android picked up Sumo's leash and began the walk back home.   
He increased his body temperature, hoping to warm Gavin up a bit.

The ten minute walk back home was spent in silence, Connor didn't feel the need to speak, and Gavin was simply too confused and out of it to say anything else other than a few mumbled words. 

Finally, they reached Hank's home and Connor walked around back, opening the door to let Sumo in first.

"You're home early." Hank's deep voice sounded from somewhere in the kitchen. Connor didn't answer, instead carried Gavin inside, past a shocked Hank, and let him fall gently on the couch. 

"What's this?" Hank asked, and followed Connor, before bowing over Gavin who was laying on the couch, mumbling to himself.

"I found him in the park." Connor stated as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "He was freezing, and seems confused. He needs to be taken care of." 

Hank's dad insticts immediately came up. "Get him wrapped in some blankets." He said, already leaving the room. "I'll start up a bath." 

Connor nodded and retrieved some blankets, laying them over Gavin's body. The man mumbled something and tried to push them off, but Connor held them tightly to ensure that Gavin would warm up.   
Sumo had laid his head on the couch next to Gavin's, and looked at him with wide puppy eyes.

"Y'r a cute on', a'n't ya?" He slurred and raised a blue-tinted hand to pet the dog.   
Connor smiled at the two.

"Bring him here!" Hank's voice boomed from the bathroom. 

Connor shouted back an okay and lifted Gavin up carefully, still wrapped in blankets, and brought him to the bathroom. 

Hank's face softened as he saw the confused man in Connor's arms. He had never liked Gavin, but the state that he was in enabled his dad senses to appear.  
He helped Connor lay Gavin down on a rug.

"Help me undress him." Hank said, and Connor's processors stuttered.

"W-why?" He asked, dumbfounded.

Hank sighed and resisted the urge to face-palm.   
"He's obviously not gonna do it himself." He said and pointed to Gavin who had found a sudden interest in his blue pinky finger. 

"Of course." Connor said. A slight blue blush coated his cheeks as he lifted Gavin's upper body up so that Hank could remove his shirt.

It was indeed awkward, undressing a co-worker. But Hank reminder himself that Gavin was helpless and it needed to be done. Reed would most likely not even remember it. 

They got the shirt off after a bit of struggling, and Hank was shocked at the amount of bruises that coloured Gavin's skin. There were many of them, both big and small, new and old. 

Hank realised that he didn't know the life of Reed as well as he thought he did. It was obvious that Gavin had been hiding things. 

These bruises weren't just acquired by falling of the stairs, as Gavin sometimes said as he came limping in the department.

Hank decided to leave it for now. Connor too was scanning the bruises, trying to determine were they came from. Sumo barked loudly from behind them, as if reminding them that time was of the essence. 

Hank undid the zipper of Gavin's pants, Connor lifted his hips up so Hank could pull of the remaining clothing. Once that was done, Hank picked up Gavin, and carried the man towards the bath, almost shivering himself of how cold Reed's skin was. 

He tried not to stare too much as he lowered Gavin into the bath, into the warm water. It seemed to wake him up a bit, he groaned and his eyes opened further than they had before.

"Stay with him." Hank ordered Connor. "Make sure he doesn't drown."

"What will you do then?" Connor asked as he splashed some water on Gavin's shoulders, and pushed him a bit deeper into the water.

"I'm gonna get some clothes for when he gets out, and prepare a warm bed." With that, Hank left and Connor was left with Gavin.

It was almost terrifying how pliant Gavin had become. Normally he snapped at everyone that came too close, and now he allowed Connor to warm him up.

"F'ls good." He slurred with a slight smile, and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth spreading through his body. 

"I know it does." Connor answered, and tried to wake him up more. "How are you feeling now, Gavin?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Cold." Was the simple answer.

"Of course. But we're taking care of you, and you'll warm up in no time."

"I d'n't need no carin'," Gavin answered. "N'one cared wh'n I needed 't most." He said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Connor asked and lightly grabbed Gavin's hand. 

"Y've seen m' bruises, 'm sure. Why d'n't ya' figure 't out." 

Connor didn't reply. He didn't know what to reply.   
He remembered all the times he had seen Gavin limping when coming in to work, or groaning when he moved too fast. He remembered Gavin's sudden fear when he was called by his boyfriend.  
Back then, Connor had never connected the dots. But now he did. 

"H- how did you manage to escape without him noticing?" He asked silently. 

Gavin blinked slowly, sinking a bit deeper in the hot water. He seemed a little more awake now.  
"He fell asleep after having his way with me." Gavin talked slowly, occasionally stumbling over his words but he wasn't slurring nearly as bad anymore.  
"He left the front door unlocked and I escaped." 

The door of the bathroom opened and Hank entered, quickly closing the door behind him as to not let heat escape.

"I have some warm clothes here, and a bed ready. You can stay as long as you like." He said, laying down the clothes on a nearby chair. Gavin let out a weak 'thanks'.

"I'm sorry," he continued after a short pause. "We should have intervened. I'm sure some of the other officers have had suspicions as well."

"It's okay." Gavin said and sat upright in the bath, motioning that he wanted to get out. "Besides, Jack never liked people int'rvening. It w'd have worsened the situation." 

Hank took a towel and told Reed to stand up, to which he hastily shook his head.

"No, I don't phcking want you to see me naked." Gavin reached for the towel and took it from Hank. "Turn around."

Out of options and not wanting to argue, Hank and Connor did as asked. They heard some tumbles and a hiss, and then Gavin said: "okay."

They turned back 'round and Gavin was standing before them, towel wrapped around his waist. His skin wasn't blue anymore but now a pale red, and he was shivering from the loss of heat of the water.

Hank's heart ached as he took in the countless bruises, wounds and scars that Reed had, and blamed himself for not intervening earlier.

He took a second towel and started drying the man from the waist up, careful for all the bruises staining his skin. 

"We'll leave you alone to dress. If you need anything, we'll be right outside." 

Gavin nodded and watched the two leave.  
Outside, Hank and Connor were silent as can be, trying to pick up the tiniest noise of something going wrong.

"He seems to be quite awake already. I'm glad he recovered this quick." Connor said silently, while still listening intently. Hank just nodded.

A small five minutes later, Gavin exited the bathroom, dressed in one of Hank's DPD hoodies, which was too big for him and loosely hung over his body, as well one of Connor's loose fitting winter pyjama pants. He muttered another thanks for the clothes.

Connor ushered Gavin into the guest bedroom and told him to sleep. 

Luckily, when he checked back half an hour later, Gavin was sleeping deeply. 

Hank came and stood next to him, Sumo following closely, and together they watched the sleeping man.

"What do we do now?" Connor asked, looking up at Hank for guidance. Would Jack manage to find them? Would it even be etically correct to send Gavin back into the hands of his abuser when he had recovered? Would Gavin stay with them, accept their help? If so, for how long?

"I don't know, Con." Hank said with a sigh. "I really don't know."

**Author's Note:**

> This is what I had in mind for Gavin's relationship with Jack: Jack always locked the doors so he could do with Gavin as he pleased, without anyone intervening or Gavin escaping.
> 
> Gavin always had to beg for the door to be unlocked in order to go to work, which resulted in him being late more than once.
> 
> One day, after a serious beating, he left the door unlocked and Gavin managed to escape but had nowhere to go. He didn't want to ask others for help.


End file.
